Rodney Frelinghuysen

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I insist on my point of order. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill and therefore violates clause 2 of rule XXI. The rule states in pertinent part: ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law.'' The amendment imposes additional duties. I ask for a ruling from the Chair.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the gentlewoman's amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill and therefore violates clause 2 of rule XXI. The rule states in pertinent part, ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law.'' The amendment requires a new determination. I ask for a ruling from the Chair.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that, during further consideration of H.R. 2354 in the Committee of the Whole pursuant to House Resolution 337, no further amendment to the bill may be offered except: pro forma amendments offered at any point in the reading by the chair or ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations or their respective designees for the purpose of debate; amendments printed in the Congressional Record and numbered 21, 26, 27, 53, 63, 66, 67, 70, 75, 76, 80, and 81; an amendment by Mrs. Adams regarding limiting funds for a Department of Energy Web site that disseminates information regarding energy efficiency and educational programs to children or adolescents; two amendments by Mrs. Blackburn regarding across-the-board cuts; an amendment by Mr. Broun of Georgia regarding limiting funds for certain programs, projects or activities in Energy Programs-Science; two amendments by Mrs. Capps regarding limiting funds for the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant; an amendment by Mr. Cohen regarding funding levels for the Solar Energy Program; an amendment by Mr. Denham regarding limiting funds to implement section 10011(b) of Public Law 111-11; an amendment by Mr. Engel regarding limiting funds for lease or purchase of new light-duty vehicles; an amendment by Ms. Eshoo regarding limiting funds for contracts with business entities that do not disclose political expenditures; an amendment by Mr. Flake regarding limiting funds for Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy; an amendment by Mr. Flake regarding limiting funds for Fossil Energy Research and Development; amendments by Mr. Frelinghuysen regarding funding levels; an amendment by Mr. Gosar regarding the Davis-Bacon Act; an amendment by Mr. Graves regarding limiting funds to be used in contravention of the 2006 Missouri River Master Manual; an amendment by Mr. Hastings of Florida regarding limiting funds to be used in contravention of Executive Order No. 12898; an amendment by Mr. Hastings of Washington regarding limiting funds for the McNary Shoreline Management Plan; an amendment by Mr. Hastings of Washington regarding limiting funds for the Office of Nuclear Security; an amendment by Mr. Hastings of Washington regarding limiting funds for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission project No. 2342; an amendment by Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas regarding limiting funds to be used in contravention of the Department of Energy Organization Act; an amendment by Ms. Kaptur regarding funding for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; an amendment by Mr. Luetkemeyer regarding the study pursuant to section 5018(a)(1) of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007; an amendment by Mr. Rohrabacher regarding limiting funds for loan guarantees for carbon capture and sequestration; an amendment by Mr. Rohrabacher regarding 10 percent of loan guarantee funds for non-water advanced nuclear reactors; an amendment by Mr. Rohrabacher regarding loan guarantees for carbon capture and sequestration projects not exceeding funds for non-water advanced nuclear reactor loan guarantees; an amendment by Mr. Richmond or Mr. Scalise regarding funding for Corps of Engineers construction; and an amendment by Mr. Sherman regarding limiting funds for international activities at the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; and, further, that each such amendment may be offered only by the Member named in this request or a designee, or by the Member who caused it to be printed in the Congressional Record or a designee, shall not be subject to amendment, except that the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations (or a respective designee) each may offer one pro forma amendment for the purpose of debate, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole; and, further, that each amendment shall be debatable for 10 minutes, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent; and, further, that an amendment shall be considered to fit the description stated in this request if it addresses in whole or in part the object described.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I thank the gentleman from Georgia for engaging this opportunity to call attention to the strong support this bill provides for the Office of Naval Reactors, which I am proud to say reflects bipartisan priorities.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the gentleman from Utah's amendment, but I salute his advocacy and passion for his purpose for being here this evening. This amendment seeks to funnel off defense funding that is needed for the modernization of our nuclear infrastructure. With a nearly $500 million reduction to the request for weapons activities, this bill already takes opportunities to find savings with the account. Right now this bill provides for our defense requirements and is well balanced. Further reductions would unacceptably impact the ability to meet the goals of modernization and to support the nuclear security strategy set forth in the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review. This bill takes a consistent approach to funding for environmental cleanup, providing a slightly lower but sustainable and stable funding stream to continue work at all the cleanup sites. It is not responsible to increase this account above what was requested for these activities, particularly at the expense of an important national defense program. I urge my colleagues to make defense a priority and to vote ``no'' on this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I rise in opposition to the amendment, but I would like to recognize the strong advocacy of the two gentlemen from New York who just spoke--the gentleman from Buffalo as well as the gentleman from Corning. Our bill provides $213 million for non-defense environmental cleanup, only $6 million below the request, to provide for the environmental cleanup of a number of small sites, including the West Valley Demonstration Project in New York, Brookhaven and the gaseous diffusion plant sites. The total funding requirements of this account have come down as cleanup milestones have been accelerated ahead of schedule because of a large infusion of funding from the Recovery Act. This amendment goes beyond the base funding needs and attempts to sustain the higher rate of cleanup under the Recovery Act. Understandably, they'd like to continue that. We know that the levels of spending in the Recovery Act cannot be sustained. We must transition these sites to a lower, stable and more sustainable level as the Recovery Act work is completed and those dollars are less. Further, this amendment seeks to decrease funding for our national security activities. This bill provides strong support for the nuclear security activities at the NNSA. It will take a skilled and talented workforce to successfully carry out these challenging and absolutely vital activities. Last year's lower level for the Office of Administration assumed that NNSA would use $20 million in existing prior year balances to help pay its personnel costs for the year. These balances are now used up, and funding must return to the base level requirements of $420 million. This cut would result in layoffs, which would make it jeopardize NNSA's ability to carry out its nuclear security responsibilities. I urge my colleagues to join me and vote ``no'' on this amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment and salute the gentleman for his knowledge. He serves on the authorizing committee, and we can't argue against the statistics that he has proposed. I should say for the record that our bill strongly supports our nuclear security strategy. It fully funds the 4-year effort to lock down nuclear materials around the world and increases funding for our other international security efforts, such as enforcing export controls and promoting nuclear safeguards. With that, I am happy to yield to the ranking member.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I would like to join with my friends in support of this program. In doing so, we will be providing 100 percent clarification to this body and all agencies. The SSBN(X) development programs within Naval Reactors and the Department of Energy, along with associated programs directly related to the Ohio replacement program, are indeed fully funded to their requirement within this legislation. These funds have been allocated for a specified purpose: the development of a nuclear reactor prototype and all associated programs.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I move to strike the last word.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Your amendment would shift an additional $39 million within Fossil Energy Research and Development to program direction. I recognize the important role that the Fossil Energy Research and Development program plays in securing our energy future, especially when 70 percent of our energy comes from fossil sources. And I certainly recognize your strong advocacy as a gentleman from West Virginia, and the important role in fossil fuel that your State plays, providing such for the Nation. I also recognize the critical role scientists and their research at our national laboratories--including the one in your State, NETL--play in keeping our Nation in the lead in fossil energy technologies. Our bill demonstrates this support by funding Fossil Energy Research and Development at $32 billion above the fiscal year 2011 level. The bill also, however, increases the transparency of these programs by moving research and development out of program direction and into research programs. With that change included in the bill, the Department of Energy still has the authority to fund laboratory personnel doing valuable work at the national labs. However, recognizing my colleague's concerns, we would be happy to work with the gentleman as we move toward conference to ensure that salaries and expenses for ongoing activities are fully funded while increasing the transparency of ongoing research.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois and agree that the Consumer Building Energy Consumption Survey is an important resource for the building sector. The bill provides an increase of $10 million for the Energy Information Administration; and if funding is available, I expect that an update of the consumer building survey would be funded.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the gentleman's amendment. The gentleman from Montana is a valued member of the Energy and Water subcommittee. His amendment will provide a reasonable amount of funding to continue work on the fossil energy Risk Based Data Management System. By more efficiently tracking and disseminating information, the system will help ensure that the environment is protected while reducing costs for industry, benefits for which I hope all sides can agree. I support the gentleman's amendment and urge Members to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I move to strike the last word.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the further consideration of H.R. 2354, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Land Conservancy of New Jersey, located in Morris County, New Jersey, in celebration of thirty years of successful land preservation. The Land Conservancy of New Jersey was founded on July 30, 1981 by Russell W. Meyers, with the goal to preserve land and water resources, conserve open space, inspire and empower individuals and communities and to protect natural land and environment. The Conservancy has worked with 58 municipalities in 11 counties, impacting over half of New Jersey's counties, and benefiting millions of residents throughout the state. The Conservancy has established an Aresty Mapping Center to produce professional, computer generated maps used throughout the state to target open space lands for preservation. Concerned with preserving open space and protecting New Jersey's drinking water and other natural resources, the Conservancy helped to pass the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act and the Highlands Stewardship Act in 2004. The Conservancy has won several awards over the past 30 years, including the Take Pride in America National Award, given by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2005. This award recognizes volunteer projects for youth organizations, corporations, and public/private partnerships among other categories. In 2010 alone, the organization completed 27 projects and preserved over 1,364 acres of land. The Conservancy's devoted staff has worked closely with state and local government officials and agencies to make these projects possible. This year their goal has been to preserve another 25 properties and 1,500 additional acres. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Land Conservancy of New Jersey for its 30 years of dedicated work on behalf of the great state of New Jersey.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the members of the Pequannock Township First Aid and Rescue Squad located in Morris County, New Jersey as they celebrate the organization's 60th anniversary. Founded in 1951, the original members of the squad were concerned with providing ambulance services to the people of Pequannock. The squad was established as a not-for-profit corporation and was built upon the commitment of selfless volunteers who have dedicated countless hours to training and protecting their community. Their membership has grown over the years, and with an ever expanding community, the time came for the squad's headquarters to grow as well. With only a basic four walled building to house their two ambulances, members had to remove the vehicles in order to hold meetings. In 1968, they expanded the building to include a meeting room, kitchen and bathrooms. A second expansion came in 2002, with the addition of a new garage and second story. With a final renovation of the original structure in 2008, the squad was now equipped to better train their members and prepare them for aiding the community. In addition to handling the many emergency calls, the squad also provides standby coverage at various sporting events and fundraisers, and works with other township organizations in educating the public through CPR/First Aid training and an anti-drunk driving program. It is important to honor the select few in our communities who give of their time to help others. The past and present members of the Pequannock Township First Aid and Rescue Squad have provided an irreplaceable service to their community; one that I am sure will continue to grow for many more years to come. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Pequannock Township First Aid and Rescue Squad on the celebration of their 60th anniversary.